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Thursday, October 8, 2009

Baltimore Airport Car Rental

Baltimore-Washington International Airport -- or Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport -- is an international commercial airport serving the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area in the United States. It is commonly called by its IATA code -- BWI, BWI Airport or BWI-Marshall, and is about 10 miles (16 km) south of Baltimore and 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Washington, D.C. It is named for Thurgood Marshall, a Baltimore native, the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States.

Planning for a new airport on 3,200 acres (13 km²) to serve the Baltimore/Washington area began just after the end of World War II, and ground was broken in 1947. Located near Friendship Church in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Friendship International Airport was dedicated on June 24, 1950, by President Harry Truman. Regular commercial service started the following month. Jet service started in 1957 when the first Boeing 707s were placed in service.The airport was renamed Baltimore/Washington International Airport in 1973. However, the IATA code remained as "BAL" because "BWI" was already used by another airport until 1982 when it was changed to "BWI". The new name was part of an effort to attract passengers from the Washington-area travel market.The first phase of BWI modernization was completed in 1974 at a cost of $30 million. Upgrades included improved instrument landing capabilities and runway systems, and construction of three new air cargo terminals, expanding the airport's freight capacity to 2.53 acres. The passenger terminal renovation program was complete in 1979, the most dramatic work of the airport's modernization. The BWI terminal more than doubled in size to 14.58 acres; the number of gate positions increased from 20 to 27. The total cost of project was $70 million.

Airport Car Rental

Airport Rentals is a leading online booker and distributor of car rental in over 100 countries around the world. Our sheer volume of bookings gives us incredible buying power to ensure the best rental rates on a comprehensive range of quality rental cars.

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Contact Airport Car Rental

If you are booking on one of our airport car rental sites and have a question, please call one of the numbers below and be sure to mention the website you are using.Australia: 0800 556 606New Zealand: 0800 556 606UK & Ireland: 0808 234 8955USA & Canada: 1 866 425 0307All Other Countries +64 9 308 7479